Sarah Forshay holds a copy of a new cookbook that celebrates the increasing diversity of St. Thomas and Elgin. She was speaker at St. Thomas Elgin YWCAs annual Womens Day event. (Ellen Ashton-Haiste photo)

A new cookbook celebrates the increasing diversity of St. Thomas and Elgin.

From There To Here – Our Family Table features stories and traditional family recipes by contributors from Asia, the U.K., Central America and beyond – all of whom call this community their new home.

The publication is a project sponsored by the St. Thomas-Elgin Local Immigration Partnership, and a crowd lunching at St. Thomas Elgin YWCA’s annual Women’s Day last Saturday got a taste with guest speaker Sarah Foshay, a contributor to the volume.

Sarah Forshay holds a copy of a new cookbook that celebrates the increasing diversity of St. Thomas and Elgin. She was speaker at St. Thomas Elgin YWCAs annual Womens Day event. (Ellen Ashton-Haiste photo)

“My vision of the book, and the motive behind it, is embracing differences, embracing newcomers, and embracing traditions,” she’s quoted.

A first-generation Canadian, Foshay’s family traces its ancestry back to the founding of the Mennonite Church 16th-century Germany, Holland and Prussia, later emigrating to Mexico and subsequently Canada.

She shared her family’s story with her Women’s Day audience, told in part through memories of her mother and grandmother. But Sarah’s also is a story that includes her own journey, from a working mother and health-care entrepreneur, back to her farming roots with the founding of Elgin Acres Farm west of St. Thomas.

For the cookbook, she contributed family recipes for homemade buns, summer soup, refried beans, Mexican fried rice and authentic tacos.

“These recipes were the bread and butter that I grew up on, and my mother grew up on, and so forth, passed down generationally from mom to mom.”

The YW’s Women’s Day annually programs a much-anticipated day away of workshops and seminars, and lunch with a keynote speaker, and this year’s sold out in just three weeks.

Melissa Kempf, YW communications and office manager, says the day “provides us with a great opportunity to feature local women in business and share the talents we have throughout Elgin County.”

Typically covering a wide range of topics from self-help to health and wellness, and more, seminars this year even included incense making, and medical uses of cannabis.

The new cookbook already is popping up around town but there’s an official launch party 5:30-8:30 p.m. April 2 at the Columbus Club on Wellington St., with samples to taste and cultural elements.

The snow is gone. For now.

The snowdrops are well out and about in the garden. The daffodils are up and looking around.

Spring surely is on the way.

But the crowd that crammed the opening of Portside Gallery’s 2020 show and sale of miniature artworks already knew that on a recent, blustery Sunday, because there’s no surer a sign of the season to come than the annual exhibition of tiny pictures at the co-op art gallery in Port Stanley.

This year’s show, which continues through the month, attracted a record 165 entries from artists throughout the region.

And even though rules state each miniature image may be no more than 16 square inches (not counting frame), that’s still a lot to look at! Organizers say they always are impressed by the amount of creativity they see coming through the door.

Each entry is granted a space on the gallery’s walls. But each, also, is juried … this year, by Laura Woermke, who is executive director of St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre and an accomplished artist, herself.

She awarded five honourable mentions and one best-of-show, which, this year, was represented by a red ribbon pinned next to a miniature acrylic of a house wren, painted by Gail Gifford. It’s one of three realistic renderings of birds submitted by Gail.

Quoth Laura:

“The simple colour palette strengthens the subject matter.

“The artist captured the essences of the house wren.”

And looking at the small wren, which looks like it’s ready to defend its territory against one and all – no matter the size of the Goliath they may face incl. humans with brooms trying to sweep away their annoying nests – Gail certainly did.

The judge awarded honourable mentions to artists Lisa Chirborak, for her impressionistic acrylic titled Summer at the Lake, Kim Harrison for a small oil portrait of Ian, Amelia Husnik for a realistic water colour of cows grazing in a field, Jennifer Heroux for an acrylic winterscape, Evening Woods, and S’ine Maule for her acrylic Crows in the Corn.

Most expensive of the lot was priced at just $120 and already bore a red sticker. Organizers of the show like to say there’s room on any wall for a miniature, and in any pocketbook.

Along with spring, several fundraisers are in the air.

Firstly, the Ed Yurek Annual Memorial Charity Euchre Tournament, returning for a second year in honour of the memory of the late St. Thomas pharmacist.

Recalls son, Peter, who continues the family drugstore on Talbot St.:

“When we were growing up, spending quality time with family meant playing a game of euchre. My dad, Ed, loved euchre and this is a great way to celebrate him, while playing for a good cause.”

Winner last year was Rachell Fenner-Frederick, who organizers expect to be defending her title.

“Everyone who came out had an absolute blast,” recalls Wendy Kempers, Yurek sales manager. The tourney features refreshment, snacks donated by Rail City Bistro, lots of prizes. Oh, and an evening of cards.

This year’s blast of fun starts 7:30 p.m. March 27 at the CASO station, with tickets available through the pharmacy.

It’s a golf tournament where organizers say you don’t even have to be a golfer (though all skills levels more than welcome).

Because, they say, that’s just how Emily Morgan would have wanted it: “Remember, the flavour of the day is ‘fun” in keeping with the incredible love of life that Emily possessed so naturally.”

A save-the-date … the 14th annual Emily Morgan Celebration Golf Tournament is on the calendar for May 16 at her hometown Kettle Creek Golf and Country Club, Port Stanley.

The day honours the memory of an truly inspirational teen who, at age 14, underwent a double lung transplant for her cystic fibrosis, and in whose name the Emily Morgan Foundation now supports families with similarly ill children.

Say folks Tony and Dianne, and sister Lucy:

“This is much more than a golf tournament. It is community, rooted in love and support.

“We look forward to sharing this day with you; one filled with laughter, warm hugs, and hijinks of the most delightful kind.”

To register for the tourney, to join for dinner only, or to support the funder, and for other details, click through emilymorganfoundation.com

St. Patrick’s Day is in sight on the calendar. And Calgorm – the Irish-flavoured Elgin trio of Mike Mulhern, Kate Emerson and Wayne Carroll – is to tune up 2 p.m. Sunday at Central United Church, Wellington at Moore streets, for an afternoon of favourites both old and new … guitarist and vocalist Mike, who is an Irish citizen, is deft with a songwriter’s pen.

A performance last year on the saint’s day, itself, attracted 350 people and raised more than $2,400 for Central’s music program and for Inn Out of the Cold, the city’s homeless shelter which the church hosts.

This year’s concert also is to support the Royal Canadian Legion’s Poppy Fund, which benefits veterans.

Says Mike, “A member of my family and many friends have benefited from the programs supported by the poppy fund, so we’re happy to help repay the favour.”

Wayne, who accompanies the trio on piano, also will showcase Central’s Casavant pipe organ, which is featured in the Lenten noon-hour recital series on Wednesdays moved this year to the church from now-closed Trinity Anglican. Wayne is artistic director of the series.

Tickets at the door. (Free for children under 12.)

Lastly today, thoughts of spring and a year ahead in the garden are in the minds of members of St. Thomas and District Horticultural Society which, this year, celebrates its 150th anniversary!

“We are hoping to make it a special year with flower shows, a picnic, etc.,” says stalwart Diane Vaughan.

The society’s long history includes development of the former Michigan Central Park that once provided a landmark Talbot St. setting for the historic CASO station. Sadly, now, a paradise paved for a parking lot. (There’s gotta be a song there, I’m sure!)

Coming up, a horticultural society evening March 25 at the CASO station with Brian Salt, a well-known wildlife rehabilitator who is Salthaven in Mt. Brydges.